Design | Michelle Designs The Obama State China Service

We suppose it’s a little late in the presidency but the Obamas recently unveiled a state china service for use at White House dinners.

The 11-piece place setting weaves in some old motifs with modern spins. Among the newest design choices was a slightly larger plate to accommodate more modern food service as well as a band of blue First Lady Michelle Obama termed “Kailua Blue,” in honor of the waters off the coast of the President’s home state of Hawaii. Curbed reports that the set was designed by the first lady and her friend, designer Michael S. Smith.

A video accompanying this post goes into detail about some of the design choices that went into each piece. For example, we never knew that the first and last dish at a state dinner bore the presidential seal. It goes to show how much history and tradition go into White House affairs (the President’s use of a paper coffee cup in the photographs notwithstanding). For some additional presidential ceramics see our accompanying post this week.

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